We are in Colombia, and are preparing for the 8 hour drive to my team’s ministry in Planeta Rica, Columbia. We have been in Medellin for a little over a day, and are still recovering from the wacky few travel days that we had. We are still catching up on sleep. Here is the squad outside of the City Refuge in Medellin, where we are staying until going to our ministry sites. That’s me in the blue-green shirt in the front!
We are currently staying at the City Refuge, which by night is a safe place for homeless men to sleep, and is a 24/7 rehabilitation place for those enrolled in their program. It is a huge building, that has programs for men, woman and children. This place is incredibly efficient and is working hard to serve God.
It’s huge, 6 stories, and man, God is at WORK here! The founder, Dougless, moved here from Canada and built the place very intentionally. The first floor is a garage that doubles as a place for 50+ homeless men to sleep in at night. During the day, the vehicles get parked on the street and the garage is a multi-purpose area. The office is connected to the garage. This is the center of the building. Connected to the floor is the bakery, which is open every day and run by people that are part of the program here.
The “program” is really cool. The City Refuge doubles as a rehab center. The second floor is the men’s floor. They are usually involved for a year before graduating, and there are many drug addicts in recovery and biblical training that live on that floor. It’s a very strict program, and they are under constant supervision. Half of the day they are put to work, kind of like an occupational therapy, and the entire building is cleaned top to bottom each day.
The third floor is the women’s floor, which in inaccessible for all men, and next week the team that is staying here will have the chance to meet with some of them. They are also drug addicts, among all sorts of other painful stories. It’s easier for women to be accepted into the program than it is for men, as women are much more vulnerable on the streets.
The fourth floor is the kitchen, special education school room, and extra dormitories, and the fifth floor has three apartments for employees and an outdoor little soccer arena for kids. The top floor, the 6th floor is the roof and is beautiful!
This place is tax exempt and property tax exempt because it is non-profit, so they save a lot of money not paying taxes. They are preparing to tear down the house we are staying in to create another huge 6 story building, and will begin doing that probably as soon as we leave.
This place is not only a refuge for hurting people, but a place of learning, skills training, and discipleship. Many of the natives working here are graduates of the program, which is similarly structured to Teen Challenge. Its actually run by the church in NYC that also runs Teen Challenge. Pastor Harry is from NYC and he is the main administrator here in Medellin City Refuge.
We have enjoyed the view from the roof top, where we can see for miles. As for tonight, I’m not sure what we are doing, but I am so thankful that we are here, healthy and well rested.
God is good, and the adventure is only beginning.
Here is a snapshot from the roof at night
